AstraZeneca

The charges against AstraZeneca involve illegally marketing Seroquel to the elderly and to children to treat conditions for which it has not been found safe or effective, including insomnia and anxiety. Studies have found that using Seroquel improperly in the elderly, and potentially in children, may raise the risk of death.

AstraZeneca executives also promoted a study linking Seroquel with weight loss, according to emails produced in a civil case against the company, while they buried other data, particularly from one study that showed that taking Seroquel caused significant weight gain — an average 11 lbs. a year. Other studies have repeatedly shown that Seroquel and other drugs in its class cause weight gain and associated diabetes and metabolic problems.

Think if the laws for bank robbery involving murder were the same as that taking place in the drug industry? You go into the bank randomly killing a few people because you are a little trigger happy (side effect of your personalty). You walk off with three million dollars and the next day you are captured jailed and charged with robbery but not murder because of that side effect. You go to court and are fined one million dollars. From the proceeds of your bank robbery you pay the fine and walk out of court a free man with two million in your pocket go buy some more ammo so your ready for your next bank job.

Until they hammer these companies by figuring out exactly what they made in total gross sales and fining them exactly that amount. Then go through the drug company and pull out executives, scientists and those doctors involved in the conspiracy involving bunko and a murder charge at least manslaughter. Till then this whole conspiracy, drug, scam and murder while making billions and paying back a small percent of your take will continue because the whole thing is some kind of a very sick joke. These elitists medical SOB's must be setting back in their business meetings with the lawyers splitting up their take in bonuses while laughing and planning their next little scheme.

I am beginning to think that Americans are so jacked up on prescribed drugs, crap food, pollution and the idea that doctors are God that they are in a stupor and have not got a clue as to what is going on? The elitists Medical SOB's better hope and pray they never do figure it out?

“levy large enough fines against drug companies for illegal behavior, so that the payouts can’t be dismissed as merely 'the cost of doing business' ”

That's a thin line. Putting a few nasties behind bars will quell public outrage (see Wall Street), but "hurting" profits is not going to work and would be difficult to measure or attain any consistency - do you fine a company x% of profits so that they hurt but don't go out of business? Then pharma will run it's dodgy operations under cover of a small biotech or outsourcing company.

The victims of illegal marketing are the "collateral damage" of the pharmaceutical industry - so what do families in Afghanistan get when thier sons are kileed by US bombs? Something similar might be more appropriate.